A distinctive collection of essays capturing Lawrence Freedman's insightful analysis across war, strategy, and foreign policy and providing a unique view of the key thinkers that shaped history.
One of the world's foremost scholars of warfare, both historical and contemporary, Lawrence Freedman has also played an important role in policymaking, serving as an official historian of both the Falklands War and on the UK inquiry into the 2003 Iraq War. Since the publication of his best-selling Strategy in 2013, Freedman has continued to explore many of the themes he raised in the book while commenting on ongoing conflicts.
On Strategists and Strategy combines the best of Freedman's many essays from the past ten years on warfare and foreign policy, alongside more personal pieces on the scholars who influenced him and his own life trajectory. The range of his interests is demonstrated in this lively and engaging collection of essays. They cover a wide range of topics, including Vladimir Putin's strategic fanaticism; arguments on why we don't take tactics seriously enough and why ""stalemate"" is used incorrectly as a metaphor for deadlock in war; considerations of the dilemmas of nuclear deterrence; and what Covid tells us about crisis management. The material on his own life is richly contextual, attuned to the broader historical trends and social forces in 1960s and 1970s Britain that shaped his experiences.
This volume not only provides a broad-ranging sampling of Freedman's most representative work, but also offers a unique window into a half century of world history.
Introduction PART I: ORIGINS 1: On Scepticism and Scavenging 2: Michael Howard: A Reminiscence PART II: ACADEMICS AND POLICY-MAKING 3: Academics and Policy-Making: Rules of Engagement 4: Review Essay, Michael Desch, Cult of the Irrelevant 5: The Benefits of Hindsight: Historical Research and Political Accountability 6: The Chicago Speech and Criteria for the Use of Force 7: Iraq 20 Year On: The Story of the Missing Weapons of Mass Destruction 8: The UK Military Contribution to the Iraq War 9: Blair's Decision to Support Bush's War PART III: PEOPLE 10: Strategy's Evangelist: Colin Gray 11: The Intellectual Legacy of Michael Quinlan 12: Robert Jervis, Realism, and Misperceptions 13: John McDonald: Poker-Playing Popularizer of Game Theory 14: Strategic Fanaticism: Vladimir Putin and Ukraine 15: Nelson Mandela as a Strategist PART IV: ISSUES 16: Ancient Lessons for Modern Crisis 17: The Death of Captain Waskow: In Praise of the Infantry 18: Does Artificial Intelligence Change the Nature of War? 19: Terrorism as Strategy 20: Israel: Beyond Deterrence 21: For King and Country 22: Stalemate, Zugzwang, and a Long Middle Game PART V: REVIEWS 23: Oppenheimer: The Bomb, Morality, and Strategy 24: My Kendom for a Horse? Barbie: A Strategic Analysis
Lawrence Freedman was Professor of War Studies at King's College London from 1982 to 2014 and Vice-Principal of the College from 2002 to 2013. He was the Official Historian of the Falklands Campaign and a member of the UK Inquiry into the Iraq War. He is the author of several books, including Strategy: A History (Oxford, 2013).
Reviews for On Strategists and Strategy: Collected Essays, 2014-2024
For some, strategic thinking should be based on hard metrics and shorn of sentiment. Lawrence Freedman's collection of essays turns that proposition on its head. Part autobiographical, spanning a remarkable career spent at the coalface of national security debates, the book is full of unobtrusive charm, humanity and critical self-infliction. Freedman packs a considerable punch as he ponders the limits of deterrence and the ever-darkening geopolitical storm clouds on the horizon. * John Bew, Professor of History and Foreign Policy, King's College London * This collection of essays by the greatest living academic strategist is a treasure. Incisiveness coupled with humanity and humor are Lawrence Freedman's hallmarks. Please read this to learn the craft of strategy. * Kori Schake, Director of Foreign and Defense Policy, American Enterprise Institute * Lawrence Freedman is not only our preeminent military historian and strategist but also a witty memoirist, fine journalist, stylish essayist, and a canny observer of all the contours and influences of past, present, and likely future-from his personal life, the politics shaping all of our times, and their various intermingling and contradictions. This collection, the too-drably titled On Strategists and Strategy, pops with energy, insight, and wisdom. * Fred Kaplan, Author of The Bomb, The Insurgents, and The Wizards of Armageddon *
